Four months ago today...our lives changed forever!!

Four months ago to the day...we loaded up the black Lincoln Navigator in Kiev and headed on a 4 hour journey that would change our lives forever. (I will mention that it WAS a 4 hour journey that should have been at least a 5 hour journey..heehee...remember that story?) On the afternoon of July 13th, we met a 3 1/2 year old little boy that we new nothing more about than his name, Ruslan...and he stole our hearts from the moment he was escorted into the room to us. He gave us a shy smile with his head tilted down...and here we are 4 months later and he is an active, talkative, and (trying at times) little one that has learned to receive love and give love in return. God, in his infinite wisdom, made the more than 2 year wait all worth it. We knew from that moment that God chose this child to be our son before the creation of the world. He brought me into this world to be his mother. How awesome is that? Maybe not flesh of my flesh, but nothing short of a miracle. A daughter and a son...oh how we have been blessed beyond measure.

Just thought I would post some more beach photos. We returned to the beach on Monday for a little stroll along the sea wall. Our kiddos can't get enough of that place!

beach

A whole bunch of pictures!!!

Hey all...I've been meaning to sort these pictures and get them posted for over two weeks now, but with the gang coming home soon and me in the middle of working twelve days straight in support of the shuttle mission, it ain't happening! Anyway, here are 200+ pictures of our first two weeks in Khmelnytskyy at the orphanage with Russie. They are in chronological order, and I've put captions on some of them to give you a glimpse of what was going on, but that's all the organization we're going to get.

It's funny to look through them and see how clothing changed in the span of two weeks: from sweatshirts and jackets, to shorts, to the kids in underwear and sandals (w/ socks of course), back to shorts, and back to underwear and sandals (and no socks because it was really hot)!

I enjoyed reminiscing and thinking back on these two weeks...it will be good to get the gang home in a couple more days. Until then, have fun with these!

Khmelnytskyy/Orphanage Pics

A great day was had by all......

What a great day God blessed us with! He knew I needed a little pick me up today. He gave me the thought this morning as I was getting ready....to call my facilitator and see if I could take Ruslan to the hotel for the day.....he called the orphanage and they said YES! It was so much fun. We took a taxi, went to lunch (he was a good boy..ate a little food...then wanted in my lap to rest on my shoulder)..we then came back to the hotel and he took a nap for almost 2 hours. He and Ali played and played...watched a little of "Cars" on Ali's DVD player, etc. It was fantastic. He wasn't scared at all. A funny little side note as I am not used to taking boys "potty"...I had him sitting on the toilet and he shot tinkle all over his clothes....OOPS!! I will learn! He kind of looked at me like "Mama, what are you doing"...pretty funny stuff.

We were told today...again...that passports were being printed today and SHOULD arrive here tomorrow. We PRAY!!!

If all goes as planned (that is a joke by the way)...we HOPE to fly home maybe next Wed. Oh we sure hope and pray!!

Thanks for all the comments...I love reading them. Just knowing everyone is praying means more than you could possibly know. I will keep you posted or if we leave tomorrow, T.C. will probably post for me. LOVE YOU GUYS!

Hurry up and wait.....some more!!!

Well, here we are on Wed. here in Ukraine...and we still do not have a passport for Ruslan. There was a mix up with some code the children need that had to be updated when we changed his name...well, his name was printed wrong and had to be updated....therefore delaying his passport being processed. The other family had the same thing happen, so we are both waiting. Our facilitator has been "promised" that it will be here on Friday....haven't we heard this before? We were promised last Friday. So, we have to once again change our flights...keep in mind that we had to purchase all new airline tickets to get home...now these have to be changed. I don't know what the cost will be for this. I just want to get home!!

My mom made it home safely Tuesday afternoon (your time). There was a little problem in Kiev, but was resolved and she left on time. I believe she was very nervous and probably has NO desire to travel international by herself any time soon! :) I will probably be saying the same thing after I fly with both kids all the way home....I believe I will have had enough traveling for quite some time.

I thank you for all your prayers...I know God hears them...I am just discouraged at the moment. It is tough being this far from home without T.C. and not knowing when the end of the wait will come. I just want to be on the plane headed for the good ole' USA! For that I am certain.

I didn't have very good visits with Ruslan Clark yesterday or today. I don't know what is wrong. He won't listen and just seems to be out of sorts. I know he has to be confused as well. I am trying to be patient. Wish I could post some new pictures...I am just scared of wiping out our memory card again.

Oh yes, to top off all the problems I have had getting his passport.....I also have an issue with customs and immigrations. Well, my fingerprints expire Aug. 16th (next Thursday)...if I don't fly out by then...I will have to be re-fingerprinted and who knows HOW long that would take. T.C.'s expire on Aug. 23rd....and I was told that "worst case scenario"...if I haven't traveled by then, that T.C. will have to be re-fingerprinted in the states as well. Isn't that grand? Just adds to my headache. Ok...I will quit complaining now!

Would love to hear from you all........email me.

Still no passport...crunch time

I just got off the phone with Rachel (8:30 pm her time) and found out for certain that no passports came in today! Our facilitators will find out before lunch time tomorrow whether or not they will arrive tomorrow (Tues), which will still allow everyone to fly out on Thursday morning...with zero room for delays or hiccups. Anyway, if they don't come back, we're essentially stuck in the same situation with airline tickets that we were this time last week when we were assured that they would come in no later than Friday.

Please keep the whole situation in your prayers, especially Rachel, who was really looking forward to finally having a concrete date for coming home. We'll find out more tomorrow and let everybody know! Until then...

What is love?

As I sat and watched my daughter and son playing today....I contemplated this thought. As a 30 something adult...I, of course, know the answer to that question. However, watching my 3 year old play I realized he does not. He has never known love...never felt love...he has just survived. Ali, on the other hand, came into the world knowing love...from the moment she entered the world she felt our love. She has always known that Mom and Dad pick her up when she falls, kisses her boo boos, wipes her tears, gives her more hugs and kisses than she knows what to do with, and will ALWAYS love her no matter what. So my question is this...how do you teach a child what love is all about? He will have to learn all that Ali has learned from birth....only he is starting 3 1/2 years late. But he WILL learn! He will learn that Moma and Papa will always love him, always take care of him, always wipe away his tears....and just as we would do for Ali...we would do all in our power to protect him...even giving our own lives for his. That is what our little man will have to discover about love. Not only that...he will have to learn that God loves him even more than we are capable of loving him. He will have to learn to trust in God whom he has more than likely never heard spoken of before. God has truly entrusted us with such a gift as our son! We are blessed beyond measure....more than words could express here. The wait was all worth it. When I lean down to kiss Ruslan (Clark) and see him light up... I know it was all worth it. God planned his birth before the creation of the world knowing full well that he would be our son...and we would be his proud parents. All I can say is that I am humbled.

Please continue to pray for us as we await to see if Ruslan's passport is ready tomorrow. I want it in my hands!!!! We are packed up and ready to head to Kiev.

Just another day.....

It is so strange being here and doing the same things day in and day out. I am used to being at home and constantly running here and there with Ali. This has been so different for me.

Ok Kathy....so why did you have to go and bring Jason's Deli into this? Huh, tell me why!!!!! heehee....we sometimes joke around here about where we would like to eat when we get home or what we miss eating. Today our friends, the Seals, mentioned glazed donuts...YUM! They don't have donuts here. We also talked about Texas Roadhouse...and I have wanted Mexican food like crazy. I am used to eating that like once a week back home. Yes Kathy...we will have to share a treat and let the kids play....that sounds sooooo good right about now! We miss you guys...Ali will SOOOO look forward to playing with the kids again.

Well, today between visits Mom, Ali, and I did a little shopping. We still lacked some souvenirs to take home...so we went in search of some. (don't worry, T.C., they don't take credit cards...haha) I still need to pick up a couple of more things...but I found what I wanted for the most part. I really wanted to take quite a few things home from Ukraine to put around the house. We want Ruslan (Clark) to know we love his birth country....and want him to feel like his birth country is woven into our family. I want to be able to pull things out on Christmas, etc. that are from Ukraine....I think that will be neat for him.

We will pack up our things tomorrow......YIPPY SKIPPY!! However, we still do not know what time we will be leaving town. The sooner the better! I can't wait to pick up Russie from the orphanage. I just wonder what his reaction will be? He had a great day today at our visits. Ali wanted to bring the stroller to see what he would do. He loved it....had a huge smile on his face while she pushed him around.

I am having trouble logging into my email account...so I am going to put a couple of notes here to people I can't seem to email. Suzanne...why were you in the hospital? I hope everything is OK! Email me soon. April, we found some marigold plants today and we picked a ton of seeds for you. I will bring them when we come to Louisville or either I can mail them to you. I think we will keep some and plant them also...what a great idea! I love hearing your stories that you have posted of your experiences! I will be emailing you about questions regarding how it went with getting Hailey settled in at home, etc. Miss Faye...so glad you are able to keep up with us. Can't wait for you to see Ruslan...very cute if I might say so myself. ;)

No passport as of yet....

Well, today brought the news that Ruslan's passport will not be ready until Monday. Bummer! But, God did bless us with a taxi driver here that does speak a little English...and he agreed to drive us to Kiev on Monday. He is charging us a fair rate...which is a huge blessing...this trip has cost a nice bundle...as you might imagine.



Our visit with Ruslan Clark went well today. He was as cute as ever...of course! Ali bribed him with food and had him repeating some words. He has a cute little voice. He said "Mama, Papa, Ali, I love you, MiMi, Nona, Poppy"....we haven't figured out how to introduce T.C.'s dad (Papaw) to him yet....you see...over here they call fathers Papa instead of Daddy...so we aren't sure about that one! :)



I spoke with T.C. today...he had a meeting at Kennedy Space Center yesterday and today. He will return home Sat. evening, I believe.



Well, there really isn't any news around here.......it is a strange existence...wake up...go to the orphanage...find something to do all afternoon...then head to the orphanage again in the afternoon...have dinner...go to bed. Ha! Sound exciting? Ali is looking forward to getting home and seeing her friends. She is already planning a sleepover....ummmm, I told her Mommy gets a day off when we return home. Ha...yeah, right! The truth of the matter is that Mommy doesn't get a day off because Daddy has to get up early and go to work the next day....he has something that he can't get out of. Bummer! So it should be interesting with 3 of us suffering jet lag all at once...and one being a 3 year old that will be totally confused on top of it all.



I found a stroller at a shop today. I was so glad to find one. I had not seen any at all...but I knew I had to eventually walk into the correct store. And....finally...I did. I knew I would HAVE to have a stroller in the airport...with 2 plane changes. It will help out so much. I just hope I can pull my carry on and push a stroller. It should be an experience of a lifetime traveling from Ukraine to Houston with 2 kids....that will have gotten up around 4:00 AM to make our plane on time.



I will close for now. I will post as I know more about when we are leaving for Kiev!!!! You might here my shout from here. heehee

Hello again...

Seems I could not log into our blogger account yesterday to make a post. So, I will back up a day and fill you in. We still do not have Ruslan with us in the hotel. Everyone fought me on that...seems "everyone" thinks it would be a bad idea to have him in the hotel for several days. Ugh...we really wanted to get him out of the orphanage.

We are currently waiting on his passport to be processed. We had an appointment with passport on Tuesday and had his picture made, etc. We are now being told that it SHOULD be ready either tomorrow or Monday. Please pray it will be tomorrow so that we can get to Kiev over the weekend and begin our meetings there on Monday morning. Can you tell I am ready to come home? :) T.C. made our returning flight reservations for next Thursday...pray it will all be finished by then so that we will not have any added expenses with our tickets! My mom will fly out on Tuesday morning. Pray for her as well...she is nervous to make the trip alone again. It was just more economical for her to use her return ticket and just pay a $200 change fee...where we actually had to buy all new return tickets for Ali and me. I told her..."just think about me...I will be flying alone with 2 kids"...that hopefully made her feel better. Ha! So one week from today we will, God willing, be landing on U.S. soil again.....and I think I might actually kiss it!!!!

We had a good visit with Ruslan Clark this morning. He took a pretty bad fall and got a goose egg on his forehead. Poor little man.....Mama had to give him extra kisses for that one.

T.C. is on his way to Florida (lucky dog) for a 2 day business trip to Kennedy Space Center. Something about there is a shuttle being loaded and he had to attend some meetings down there. You know...he so totally didn't have to rub that one in!! I was a tad bit envious.

Ali once again was able to bring some joy into the kids lives at the orphanage. They just LOVE her. Several children played with her on some play equipment for the longest time today. As they were leaving one boy kissed her on both cheeks...so cute. She will remember them forever...I believe. I hope it gives her a heart for orphans. There are so many beautiful children that need homes and love and they have such bleak futures. They may never hear the name of Jesus. Oh it just tears your heart out.

As you can see...I don't have much exciting news. Just know we are still coveting your prayers. Please pray we get Ruslan's passport tomorrow...and we can travel next Thursday! Love you all.

I'm baaaaaaaaack!!!

I am finally able to post again. I have not been able to get online since last Wed. Ugh! I miss more modern technology.

So much to write about yet I don't know where to start. T.C. mentioned our outing this weekend to the castles. I will add that it was in the 90+ temp. and it was a WALKING tour! Ummm...we were all dying of heat. I have a hard time with long periods of time in the heat anyway..so needless to say I experienced heat exhaustion and was really sick when it was all said and done. I get major headaches in the heat and other things...which I will spare you details. Needless to say my prayer on the way back in the van was "oh God please don't let me get sick in the van...please"!!!!! :) I know we have mentioned the driving around here...so being sick with these drivers isn't a pleasant experience. Oh well, after about a 1/2 gallon of water and some Excedrin...I felt better after a couple of hours. I was glad that I made the trip when all was said and done. The castles were amazing, beautiful churches, wonderful scenery, etc.

Ruslan Clark's going away party was yesterday. It was crazy. The kids were so wound up. We brought them chocolates, juice, and cookies. (give them sugar and then let the caretakers suffer the consequences...) Today was day 11 for us after the court hearing. I will remove Ruslan from the orphanage in the morning. I am so excited about that. Ali and I have been in Ukraine for 3 weeks today. Just ask me how homesick I am! I have enjoyed Ukraine and all....but there is nothing like home. I miss so many things....especially my husband.

The party yesterday was such an amazing experience, despite the sugar levels. All of those children are so in need of human touch. They all want to be held, touched, loved on, etc. Mom sat on a couch and several children wanted their turn to sit on her lap. One little boy wanted to sit as close as he could to her...it was precious....but heart breaking at the same time. I want to take them all home. There are so many children at the orphanage that are so full of life, smiles, and love....but they don't have anyone to love them back...wow! To think about their futures is a sobering thought!

Please pray for our passport situation...well, not OUR passports, but Ruslan's passport. (and the other American family) See, recently the passports have changed and the new passports are taking longer to process. We were originally told we could wait an extra 10 days for his passport. Ummmm.....didn't make me happy! But our facilitators have worked SO hard for us and are trying to get that changed. In fact, in the morning one facilitator is waiting to hear if SOMEHOW we can get them in the same day. Please pray for that. If that could happen, we could drive to Kiev tomorrow or the next day to start our Embassy meetings to get the heck out here. That means we could possibly fly out this weekend...if we could find flights available. I will keep you guys posted....or T.C. will.

I will close for now. I need to go and pack our bags JUST IN CASE we leave for Kiev tomorrow. We get such short notice around here...better to be safe than sorry.

Anyway...again...tomorrow is freedom day for our son! YIPPY!

And on the tenth day...

...the children had a party! Today marked the tenth day since our adoption was ratified in court and so now is officially complete! No one came forward to object to the unpublished verdict of the judge, surprise, surprise--but we're not complaining. The kids at the orphanage had a party today for Ruslan, Artoom, and Katia, hosted by Rachel/Ali and Don/Jackie. Some chocolate and milk for the kids--champagne for the caregivers--and it sounds like everyone had a great time. When I talked to Rachel this morning (mid-afternoon for her), she wasn't sure whether or not young Clark would have to spend one more night at the orphanage or be able to come back to the hotel with her today. Either way, tomorrow begins the process of picking up birth certificates, applying for passports, requesting visas, and preparing to COME HOME!!!

While I don't have any pictures of the party to share with you (Rach's internet connection is still down), I did manage to find some pictures of the girls' weekend to show everyone. As you know on Saturday, all three families in Khmelnetsky took a castle-hunting tour to the towns of Kamyanets-Podilsky and Chernivtsi, which are about 25km from the Romanian border. Here are some pictures I found online of the region and the castles they visted:

Castle in Kamyanets-Podilsky

Another picture of the castle...

Chernivtsi

BTW, all of these pictures are © by the US-Ukraine Foundation (i.e., I'm not stealing them!) and can be viewed here with lots of other great photographs. I highly recommend this site to everyone to get a taste of what a beautiful and diverse country Ukraine is We didn't get to all the regions with photos, but I can vouch for every picture of Kyiv that is shown...absolutely wonderful! These will have to suffice until the girls' internet connection is back up at the hotel or they get home, whichever comes first.

Rachel and Ali say to tell everyone hello and that they miss you and being able to read your comments here on the blog! They continue to be adventurous and find new places to eat, shop, and enjoy what little time they have away from the orphanage. At a Greek restaurant they wandered into to a few nights ago, they were getting stuck on the Ukrainian-only menu (i.e., no English), when they ran into our wonderful, somewhat-English speaking cab driver, Gnadi, who so faithfully drove us around town until someone rear ended his 26 year-old Mercedes two weeks ago...anyway, he stepped up and ordered for them and saved the day! Everybody enjoyed seeing him there as well as he quickly became our friend right after getting to town. His English, which is pretty good for someone who has never left continental Europe, the pride he took in his city (as evidenced by driving us by every WWII monument, cemetery, and memorial in town!), and the great gifts from all over Europe he and his wife sell at the local bazaar each Sunday (we bought a beautiful bronze crucifix from Germany), endeared him to us right from the start. He's really a pretty cool guy with a great sense of humor, and we're all praying his car gets fixed soon since driving is his livelihood.

Enough rambling for today. I won't leave you with any strange Ukrainian pop star videos today (though I do have a really funny Ukrainian Army recruiting video on my blog over here). Just some great pictures of castles I've never seen and some second-hand tales of children's parties and new friends...can you sense my jealousy at having to come home? Ahhh...Хорошо (it's ok).

Foreign Frivolity

Well, the girls haven't had an internet connection at the hotel for the past few days, so I figured I'd write a short blurb to fill everyone in on there news from our short phone calls each day (11pm in Houston / 7am in Kiev)...Rachel's mom arrived without incident on Thursday evening after two long flights and one harrowing van ride from Kyiv to Khelmetsky. Little Russie has thankfully not had any more quirky, ugly toddler days since Wednesday, which is good for Rachel et al since they have enough to deal with without a moody three year-old! Other than that, Rach reports more of the same--good times playing with and loving on Ruslan Clark, Ali being the hit of the orphanage, still not understanding exactly what they're eating all the time, and enjoying every minute of it all. As I just got off the phone with her (Saturday AM there), Rachel, Ali, and Alice (Rach's mom) are getting ready to head off for the day to visit castles in the southwestern part of the country...I'm totally jealous!

With most of my jet lag behind me now, I've had some time to post some videos from our trip...both of them comedies, of course. The first is Ali's YouTube debut (she's so totally impressed that she's on YouTube, grin) and is the direct result of long days in the heat, too much sugar, some strange French can-can influence, a bit of gangsta rap (huh?), and...of course...some Elvis thrown in for effect. [BTW, I had to rotate this video 90 degrees because I took it in 'portrait' mode, which YouTube didn't know how to handle...hence Ali looks a bit short and stout, sorry kiddo!] Enjoy...



This second video is all three of 'our' orphans (Russie [in blue] as well as Don and Jackie's two, Artoomie [in red] and Katia) being introduced to bubbles! It's really funny to watch them but at the same time points out a lot of the observations we've been writing about for days, like:

1. Ruslan's little giggle (he's the quiet laugh here and Artoomie is the loud one)
2. Boys acting like boys...trying to stomp, pop, and otherwise squash bubbles
3. All three of them pretty amazed by the novelty of everything
4. Boys getting clocked in the head and not missing a beat
   
5. The 'orphan toy swap'...actually an attempt by Artoom that fails and ends up in a great display of toddlerhood, kids are the same around the world

Anyway, enjoy this one too...



This last clip doesn't feature any of our clan or have anything to do with us except that it is Ukraine's entry in the 2007 Eurovision music competition. The singer Вєрка Сердючка (Verka Serduchka) is actually, ahem, a guy who started this 'Boy George meets Richard Simmons' act in college...frat boys are the same around the world too...just like toddlers. Anyway, this guy is on TV all the time and this song is wildly popular, in a sort of Russo-Germanic, pop-polka sort of way. I think the act is hilarious...and come to think of it, we did see a crew of cross-dressing types in Khelmetsky on a Monday afternoon, so maybe this does have something to do with our trip...anyway, Хорошо (it's ok!).

Friendship is not bound by language

I have come to a realization lately that friendship isn't bound by language. Isn't that amazing? Ali has had the greatest experience at the orphanage with a few children from Ruslan's group. There are a couple of boys that look to be maybe 5 years old that totally took to Ali. They will daily come to her for hugs, wanting her to pick them up, and they try talking to her. Well, today we were playing outside with Ruslan and his group came walking by and they ended up playing near us. Ali likes to "spy" on them and watch the children from a distance. Today their caregivers allowed these 2 boys to come play with Ali. They played together for at least an hour. First it was looking for snails, then climbed on the jungle gym, slid down the slide, etc. They just had the best time...the kids new she didn't understand them...but somehow they still managed to communicate. We have had a similar experience with another family that is adopting from the same orphange. They are from Israel, speak very little English, but through hand gestures we manage to get our points across. They are a precious couple becoming a family of 3 with a beautiful 2 1/2 year old boy. What a miracle God works through adoption...allowing a couple to become parents who wouldn't otherwise get the opportunity. What an amazing God we have!

We started out our day on a very rough note. Ruslan Clark was in RARE form and a terror...if you must know. To think of the calm easy kiddo we met those first couple of days. WEW! I was looking for some gypsies to sell him to...hahaha...you know I am kidding. I left our visit completely disappointed. We went to lunch with another couple, then came back to our room to regroup for our afternoon visit. God reminded me that I did not agree to be Ruslan's mom only when things were going well. I am his mom from now until forever...regardless of his actions. It is an honor to be his mother...I know God will direct my path. I waited a long time to be his mother....and am so blessed to have 2 children that God has trusted us with. I am so grateful for the woman that gave birth to him...I wish she could know he is loved and will be well taken care of.

So....I was a tad bit nervous to return for our afternoon visit. However, it went considerably well. He came out of his room all smiles and glad to see us. We brought him a new toy and he loved it. He played and played and was sad to say good bye. I wish he understood that we won't be saying good bye for much longer. Today was day 5 of our 10 day wait...then he will say good bye to the orphanage forever. I know that will be a bittersweet day for him...not fully understanding what is happening. Our precious boy just has no concept of what family is. I can't wait for him to figure it all out...and figure out that there are so many people that love him...something he has never had.

I must confess...there won't be any pictures...for a while at least. I knew I shouldn't have tried that. I erased our memory card.............can you believe it? Thank goodness it was a new card and not the one we used for most of the trip. This card we just switched out a few days ago. I couldn't believe it. I am just glad we only lost a few days worth of pictures. But, it did have a family picture that we took the day T.C. left...at his last visit to the orphanage. I know we will have many opportunities for family pictures soon! But, I think I messed up the format on the card also. Leave it to me!!!! I am going to talk to T.C. when he gets home about it and see what I need to do. I know I shouldn't have messed with a computer written in Cyrillic. DUH!!!

T.C. gets home tonight...well, it is day there. I can't wait to talk to him. It is strange being this far away from him. Right about now my mom is waiting in the Houston airport to head over here. She is in for a culture shock. Ha!! I think she will arrive at our hotel around this time tomorrow evening. (well, evening here) She is flying in the same day as another American couple. One of the families we are here with have parents coming in tomorrow also. So, we planned Mom's trip around when they were coming in. That way our translator can drive them all here together. It is about a 4 hour drive from Kiev...which is where they are flying into. Mom is so excited to meet our little man. Hope he doesn't act like he did this morning! :)

Again, thank you for your comments and prayers. Jill...I bet you can relate to our stories....has it been 2 1/2 years since you were here? Kay...yes, I can imagine how Sarah felt when she held her son. It is something you just can't describe. Our little Samuel Ruslan Clark is an answer to pray...it was just all in God's perfect timing.

Until next time.....

Random observations.....

I am starting out on a lighter note tonight (at least it is night here in Ukraine). I wanted to make some random observations about life here in Ukraine...at least from what we have seen. :)

1. the women REALLY like SHORT skirts, sexy tops, and HIGH heeled shoes!!!!
2. everyone smokes...and I really miss non smoking sections....
3. no drinking age, so even young teens walk around with a beer in their hands
4. dogs are everywhere...there are no pounds here, so stray dogs are plentiful
5. drivers are terrible...the taxi rides are never boring!
6. not really any speed limits...the ride from Kiev was quite a speedy ride!
7. PDA abounded in Kiev....smooch, smooch!
8. I miss knowing what I am eating! heehee
9. it is quite hot and not many places have AC....spoiled Americans...that is what we are calling ourselves!
10. I miss driving where I need to go!
11. people walk just about everywhere....the sidewalks are ALWAYS busy with walkers...even late into the evening
12. and Ali wants to add...how in the world am I to know what I am ordering off a Russian menu? ;)

Well, just a little glimpse into our life as of late! There isn't much to write about. Our days tend to be just about the same day in and day out. I know you guys get tired of reading my boring posts. Today we visited Russie per our norm...he was once again "Captain Underpants!" The little guy won't know what to do when we make him wear clothes every single day. He just might decide when he is outside playing that the clothes need to come off...we will see. He was a rascal this morning. I had the joy of chasing him around just about every square inch of the orphanage grounds. Ummm....he was wired for sound. He thinks it is QUITE funny to run from me while I am saying "NO, NO"...he looks back with a big grin still running. As you might imagine...I find it not quite as charming. :) Though I do thank God for blessing us with this precious boy...I do believe we have some challenging days ahead of us. I know after several months he will pick up on English and things will be better. I know VERY little Russian, which doesn't help. My slim vocabulary of "yes, no, cost of the taxi, please, thank you, I don't understand, good boy, one hour on the internet, etc" just doesn't get me very far with a toddler. heehee....but we will manage. Hey, no accidents today...he was so proud when he would go potty for me...just a big ole' grin on his face...because I act like a nut and go "woohoo...way to go"...etc. Oh the simple joys in life.

I talked with T.C. for a total of 1 and a 1/2 minutes today on the phone. He was calling from the Kiev airport before going through customs. He put all the change he had into a pay phone and that is how much it got him. He was able to tell me that he was able to visit a beautiful church there and that he got all of his portion of our paperwork signed at the Embassy....then the phone beeped. So I guess I will hear from him when he gets back to the states. I miss him already.

I heard from one of our translators today about the passport situation. It looks like our best case scenario might be an extra 3-4 days here after the 10 day wait (which is over on July 31st), then after the passports are issued we head back to Kiev to finish up our paperwork which consists of applying for the visa, finish up with customs and immigration, and have a medical exam for Russie. I believe that will take 2-3 days or so. So I guess we won't be returning until at least Aug. 7th or so. It is all about flexibility...which I am not that good at...but am learning...the hard way. :)

Well, I have tried and tried to upload some pictures...but haven't been able to do so. If anyone can walk me through it....feel free to email me. T.C. left instructions...going through picasweb...but I can't seem to find the pictures on the computer. Oh well, maybe I will get it figured out.

I am living on prayers!!!!!

Ok, it is a down day here in Ukraine! T.C. left this evening with our translator headed for Kiev. We are flying solo for the next several days. YIKES! I had a temporary meltdown at the time his taxi drove away...but it is OK now. Not that I like the idea of him being gone...don't get me wrong...but what is my other option....oh yeah, there isn't one. So...Ali and I will suck it up and press on. God is so good in giving us 2 other American families here.

I do have MAJOR prayer request...my fellow prayer warriors. We were informed by our translator this evening before they drove into the sunset headed for Kiev...that we could possibly be STUCK here an extra 7-10 days after our current 10 day wait...waiting on passports. Apparently passports have changed recently and they are not running smoothly at all. They are taking much longer than in the past to process. So, our translator is very nervous about this. She had a meeting today and they basically told her that there wasn't anything they could do for her...so she went to the head guy. When they left for Kiev she was waiting on a phone call to be returned to her to find out if there is anything that can be done to speed up the process for us all. (us and the 2 other families) That would be such an added expense....another 10 days in this hotel and food, etc. YUCK!! Not to mention we would together have 5 kids in this hotel with really nothing to do with them. Ummmm.....can you say NOT fun? Just please lift this up in prayer....we do so covet your prayers. Thank you so much.

To answer a few posts...yes, Sarah... it looks like we are doing the toilet training thing together. Can you give me some pointers...it has been 8 years for me!! Hahaha.....and I will TOTALLY remember the Wal-Mart diaper tip. I am hoping to just use training undies when we return to the states...but we will see how far he is in the process. It is hard to tell right now. Ali appreciates everyones notes to her...she says hello! To answer Juliana's questions....Ali says "yes, I will help teach him English...the food is good (especially the borsch soup and chocolates)...we are staying in a nice hotel with a big room...yes it is really hard to understand the people and I can't understand a single thing they say and I have gotten used to it and be shocked to hear everyone speak English when we get home" She says to tell Holt that she will play swords together the next she sees him and they can teach Ruslan how to play! :0) Kay, yes we will have clothes to bring Ruslan Clark home in...thanks to Mom! Mom saves the day again. Ha! I sent her shopping and she is bringing it with her this week when she comes. I hope it all fits....we think he is a 2T....we will see. I will have to buy shoes here...I traced his foot...we will see how shopping for shoes with a traced foot goes. Ha! She says to tell Danny, Bekah, and Joshie hello from her...she misses them and can't wait to see them. Biddie (Millie)...of course you are Ali and R.C.'s other grandmother....Ali wouldn't have it any other way! You are stuck with us now....can't wait for you to see our handsome guy. Uncle Vince and Aunt Sally...we are so happy you have been able to keep up with our adoption...thank you for the comments and words of encouragement! Ali says she misses you guys and wants to know how all the horses at the barn are doing! :) (and give them kisses....if you dare!) Lori, so glad to read your posts everyday...Ali says hello to Christopher and she can't wait to play with him. Becky....your words are always so uplifting...just when I need to read them! We can't wait to make it to Louisville!!

Ok, anyway....our visits with Russie...I will sure be glad when we get home and start calling the poor guy ONE name....went well today. He was cute as ever and T.C. hated to leave him. He will be so confused tomorrow when T.C. isn't there for the visits. It was a little cooler here today...much welcomed! It has been SO hot here and not many places have AC...the orphanage does NOT. UUGGGHHH. We just walk around outside the whole visit in the heat...all sweating. Thank goodness our hotel room has AC! (the taxis do not...yuck) Russie comes running when he sees us. I was told today by one of the other families that we need that run on video....maybe I will do that soon!

I will post pictures soon. T.C. is our computer guy...as you all know...but he left me with instruction on how to do it. We will see if I can figure it out. Ha! I have a few cute shots from yesterday and today. I have a really funny shot of us trying to get a family picture.....ummmm the little tot wouldn't sit still. :)

I will close. It is time to get Ali to bed.

News from Ukraine

We had no internet access for a couple of days. The hotel internet goes down quite frequently. I will make this short...it is getting late here....and we must be downstairs to catch our cab at 8:45 in the morning for our orphanage visit.

This weekend went well with Ruslan. He is 100% boy and has a toddler streak...ya' know...pitch a little fit if you do something he doesn't like. Ha! It doesn't happen often...and I know he finds it frustrating to not understand us. Orphans have some issues that other children do not...they do not know what it means to have something that belongs to them. Can you imagine? He has NEVER had a single item that was HIS. It will be a new concept for him to learn. He doesn't understand that at all. He gets upset when we want to help him with a toy because sometimes he thinks we want to take it away....like the other children do. But, that will just be a learning process for him. I know in time he will understand. If you can imagine this....on the day that I pick him up at the orphange for the last time....he leaves completely empty handed. 3 1/2 years he has lived there and he hasn't one single thing. Had sad for me to think of. I must show up with ALL clothing and shoes. He must remain at the orphanage until our 10 day wait is up...which is July 31st. I can't wait for that day! To be able to do the simple things like give him a bath, a meal, rock him, etc.

Thank you all for the wonderful posts! It really lifts our spirits to read all of the messages. Ali gets a thrill out of messages for her as well. She is so proud to be a big sister. She has been so amazing this entire trip! She has not complained at all. She definitely deserves a special treat when we return to the states. Thank you all for your prayers...they keep us going.

T.C. will leave for home on Tuesday evening and has a long layover in Paris...he will return home on Wed. afternoon. He will actually leave this region tomorrow evening as our facilitator is here right now and is heading to Kiev tomorrow...so he will ride with her back to Kiev. He has to sign his portion of the paperwork at the Embassy on Tuesday morning. Please pray for me as he is gone.....it makes me a little nervous. I know God will take care of us. Ali is remaining here with me. My mother is flying into Kiev on Thursday to spend some time here with Ali and me. Pray for her as well....it is a little scary flying all this way alone. One HUGE blessing is that we are here with 2 more families. One family we have been here with the whole time, and another arrived yesterday. They accepted a referral of an absolutely beautiful boy of 2 1/2.

I will end this now and hopefully we can put up a few new pictures tomorrow. We found out today that Ruslan isn't actually potty trained. We kept wondering why he would never tell us he had to go potty....yet, he kept having an accident here and there. So I asked today...and we were told "he is still being trained"....glad I know that now and not find that out on the plane...haha. All I can say is THANK GOODNESS Ukraine carries Pull-Ups!!!! :) Amen!

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

We're parents...again!

Court is over, the dust has settled, and now it's official! We're parents again!! "Liberation Day" is what we joked about calling today, when our little orphan 'inmates' (as they are referred to on official documentation) were officially adopted. Though there was no drama compared to our appointment last week, the backdrop for today's scene felt like a movie set...but an out of place one indeed...

It seemed unlike anything one would find in the former Soviet Union and more like the backdrop for a Hemmingway novel, a Bogart movie, or a Buffett song. The dark stairs led past the small guard's desk and cramped first floor to a second story with twelve or thirteen-food high whitewashed ceilings with crumbling plaster walls painted in faded flamingo pink. The worn terra cotta tiled floors had bright blue steps and similar, cracking rod iron staircase and handrails, both very ornate. All the lights were off (of course) and the husting crowds of people moved quickly and quietly down the hallways, dressed in their finest clothes and smelling of cigarettes. The whole scene was surreal and notably out of place in this quiet, western Ukrainian town. For a moment, it was as if we were transported from here to Old Havana...it was strange.

Don and Jackie (the other family here) were called in first. While they were meeting the judge, we rehearsed the answers to the questions we had been given ahead of time. "Not to worry, " our facilitator repeated in her thick Russian accent, "I am speaking to the judge and will tell her what needs to be said." No problems, we thought, we'll go over these questions and be done easily...like everything else here in Ukraine, however, things turned out fine but nothing like what we expected!

Don and Jackie were done quickly (15 min), and we were shuffled in quickly after them amidst congratulations and handshakes in the hallway--no doubt out of place here in this courthouse! We entered the room and were seated across from the judge, some witnesses (like jury duty), the orphanage director, and a worker from the state department. All of this took place in the judge's office, where she freely took phone calls from time to time, even in the middle of our proceedings!

From the very beginning, it was like a game of Twenty Questions, but without any of the questions we had anticipated. "What do you do for a living?" "Why do you want to adopt from here?" "How many rooms are in your home?" "Who lives in your home with you?" "How does your daughter feel about adoption?" And so on, and so on...

We patiently answered the judge's questions, then listened to the testimony of the orphanage director and state department worker. The director talked of our interactions with Ruslan during our daily visits and how it was her opinion that he bonded with us and felt very comfortable with us. She recommended that we be allowed to adopt per our petition to the court. The state department worker, though we had never met, also concurred with the director's recommendations and said that, based on her review of our dossier, it was in the child's best interest to be adopted by us.

The saddest part of the morning was hearing the judge question the orphange director about Ruslan's brothers (3). When asked about the other children and the parents, the director stated several times that none of the family had ever come to visit or inquire about Ruslan. Not after dropping him off at two months old...not after being contacted by the state to terminate her parental rights...not after learning that he was adopt-able by other families...not ever. It was heart-breaking to hear that none of this family had ever come by to see him--even after only one week we can clearly see that he is a wonderful boy!

With that, the judge asked us to stand and then read her proclamation that Thomas and Rachel Judd were now the parents of Samuel Ruslan Clark Judd and all documents were to be updated accordingly. Even the crusty old Ukrainian man on jury duty against his will cracked a smile...

Pictures of Captain Underpants

Here are some shots from yesterday (19th)...we were too tired at the end of the day to wait for them to upload. Our internet access is in an un-air conditioned part of the 12th (top) floor...'nuf said, right?

Orphanage, Album 5

L'eau du toilette but not like you think!

OK, this happened to Don and Jackie this afternoon but was too funny to pass up here! We've been giving the kids lots of juice and water during our visits, so we have also had to take them 'potty' to keep the caregivers off our backs. When the kids go to the bathroom in their rooms, they literally 'sit on the pot'...like a bedpan crossed with a cooking pot sort of thing. Anyway, they all know the drill. Interestingly, the fellas understand what to do when we take them to the 'big potty' and hold them up to do their thing, even though the toilet is a novel thing for them.

Well, today, Don took Artoomie to the bathroom and accomplished his mission with relative ease. Upon putting him down on the floor to pull up his underwear, without hesitation Artoomie reached his hand into the water and proceeded to splash Don in the face! Not exactly the toilet water that you pay big bucks for at the salon, eh? Yuck!

Little undies man!!!

Once again our little man came running to us in his undies today. It is very hot here so that means no clothes on any of the kiddos....pretty funny. We are thinking of bringing our own clothes to dress him in while we are there for our visits. Something just doesn't seem right taking all these pictures of him........with not much on. Ha! Not to mention the undies are usually TOO big.

Pray for us tomorrow. We have court at 10AM in the morning. I know the butterflies will be fluttering in our bellies tomorrow. It will be official, the little man will be ours and the child we have prayed so long for.

Not much news here. We will update with photos tomorrow and an update on court!

Oh, I got to experience something fun today...while snuggling with Ruslan this morning he fell asleep on me. It was so sweet....he was sound asleep while we walked around. Then I just sat down under a tree and let him snooze for a few minutes. A precious moment with our son!